Nancy Borick (pictured right) and Kris Petersen (pictured left), Virginia Studies and US I teachers at Dranesville Elementary School in Herndon, VA participated in the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute during the summer of 2015. They were generously provided scholarships by Mr. James H. and Mrs. CarolAnn M. Babcock of Fairfax County. As a result of private scholarship funding by Mr. and Mrs. Babcock over the past three years, thirty FCPS elementary teachers have participated in the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute. During this five day summer professional development, these teachers experience what life was like in the early colonies through hands-on, authentic learning experiences as well as scholarly presentations. Additionally, they are given a stipend to purchase instructional materials for their classrooms. These teachers return to their classrooms enthused, excited, and with more background knowledge about how a diverse group of people evolved into a society that valued freedom and independence which formed the basis of the United States today.

Nancy Borick and Kris Petersen provided turn-around training to social studies lead teachers from 139 elementary schools in Fairfax County.